October is just around the corner and some of you may find yourself being on the receiving end of the ballot results of the London marathon. If you're one of those lucky people, we've put together some tips to help you train and run the best marathon possible!
- Train before the plan starts. Although training plans vary, most of them range between 12 and 16 weeks. Although these plans are great to follow, they will work better if you have some good basic fitness behind you beforehand.
- Get the right gear. This is vital for a successful race. A marathon can sometimes be a once in a lifetime experience and you don’t want it to go to waste by wearing the wrong trainers!
- Don’t just run. Cross training is vital as part of your plan. From cycling to strength training, it will all help improve your running. Having good core strength is central for using your body efficiently during a race so training this will help you get the most of your body.
- Start fundraising. Whether you’ve got a charity place or a ballot place, fundraising is a great way to get motivated. Knowing that the charity you’ve chosen to run for is going to benefit from the money you’ve raised is a great way to keep going when training gets hard.
- Don’t fret if you don’t stick to your plan. Events, illness and life gets in the way sometimes. It’s not the end of the world, just pick the plan back up when you can!
- Use social media. Facebook, Twitter and Instagram are great ways to keep everyone up to date with how training is going and can be a great way to push your sponsorship page. Instagram can be great to follow others and see how their training is going, but be careful not to obsess over it. Everybody has different skills and it’s natural that some will be behind you and some will be further ahead with training – as long as you don’t start to draw comparisons, you’ll be absolutely fine!
- Accept pain. This is going to hurt. The sooner you accept it, the better. The pain will pass, but the memories will last a life time!
- Train like you race. When you’re doing your longer runs, try to train yourself to run in the conditions similar to the race. If it starts at 10am on a Sunday morning, aim to do your longer runs at this time too. This gives you a chance to practice getting up and having breakfast like you will on the actual day.
- Keep motivated. One day you may be completely driven but end up having a rubbish session. Don’t let that deter you. You’ll have days where you feel beaten and that you can’t do it. You can’t let these days rule your training- remember the good runs and tomorrow is another day.
- Warn your loved ones they may need to be patient. The marathon will become all you think about, dream about and probably talk about! Don’t let them dim your shine, it’s good to talk!
- Be careful! You’ll soon realise that everything suddenly becomes dangerous. Walking the dog, crossing the road, walking up the stairs – everything that you usually do so nonchalantly will suddenly come with hundreds of risks!
- Do a half marathon. About 2 months before the big day, aim to complete a half marathon. This will be great training and give you an idea of your pace on marathon day.
- Add speed to your longer runs. This a great way of improving your stamina as well as cutting down your finishing time!
- Battle maranoia. Marathon paranoia, also known as ‘maranoia’ is a term that all marathon runners have struggled with. The build up to such a big event can be daunting and the pressure to do well can be intense. Try not to become overwhelmed by it all – you can do this!
- Mimic the course. Research the route that the marathon takes. Once you know, try to train on similar paths – there’s no use training on all flat surfaces and getting there on race day and finding it’s full of hills!
- Practice hydration. Some form of drink is generally available at each mile from around 3 to 25 – whether water or a sports drink. Practice beforehand how much you need and when and that’ll save plenty of excess water being taken on.
- Get plenty of sleep. Chances are the exercise will help you sleep better anyway, but you need a good kip to keep energy levels up!
- Practice your pace. It’s pretty vital to know roughly what sort of pace you’ll be able to manage for 26.2 miles so practising is key! Consistency is vital so you don’t shoot out too quickly on race day!
- Do a dress rehearsal. Do a long run in the outfit you’ll be wearing – this is especially key if you’re mad enough to be doing it in fancy dress! You need to know weight and how heavy it’ll be!
- Taper. It’s important to start tapering about 3 weeks before the big day. Cut down the runs and rest more. Some may think it’s counter-intuitive and continue training right up to until the big day- this is going to more harm than good!
- Invest in some plasters, paracetamol, and some Vaseline! Believe me, you’re going to need them.
- Come up with a mantra. Something short and snappy that you’ll remember when times are getting harder! ‘Mind over mile’, ‘The strong get stronger’, ‘One mile at a time’, ‘Go fast be bold’.
- Carb load. 3 days before race day, your diet comes in to play and your diet should be made up of about 60% carbohydrates to start fuelling your body!
- Eat a good breakfast. Nerves and an early start won’t make eating particularly easy but it’s key to eat something substantial 2-3 hours before the start of the race. Your breakfast should be the same as what you’ve eaten on your longer training runs. Typical choices are toast or bagels with peanut butter or porridge, washed down with water, coffee and a sports drink but remember not to try anything new on race day!
- Prepare mentally. Make sure you get to the start about an hour before it’s due to begin. This will give you time to drop your bag off, go to the loo once, twice & the inevitable few more times and it’ll give you time to mentally prepare yourself for what’s to come. Do some stretches, jog on the spot and try and have a laugh with other runners there. You’re all in the same boat so help each other out!
- Don’t let it become bigger than it is. One of the best bits of advice I’ve ever read:
‘It is easy to let the significance of events and occasions amplify in your own mind, sometimes to such an extent that they become intimidating. That’s counter-productive. Instead, never ever forget that the basic principle of completing a marathon involves putting one foot in front of the other between two pre-defined points. Left, right, left, right, left right, as fast or as slow as you like. That’s all there is to it. One foot, then the other, over and over, until it’s done. That’s as tough as it needs to be.
You can do this. Believe me, you can.’
.2 Enjoy it! High five every passer-by, smile at the cameras and be proud of yourself.
